Minimodels Limited

In 1952, a small company called Minimodels Limited introduced a range of metal bodied model racing cars which contained a unique type of clockwork motor. The inventor of these cars was Mr. B. Francis and the trademark was known as SCALEX.

By 1956, the novelty of such cars was flagging and so Francis began to seek new ways to update the product. Whilet witnessing a demonstration of electrically operated cars running on a track Francis instantly recognized the potential for his own products and modified his cars to take an electric motor. He also devisied a rubber based track system with two parallel grooves in which metal rails carried electric current, guiding the cars by means of a "gimbal" wheel suspended beneath them.

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Scalextric

The new product was called Scalextric (Scalex + Electric = Scalextric) and was unveiled at the annual Harrogate Toy Fair in January 1957. An overnight sensation, the orders flowed in, exhausting the company's production capacity to such an extent that in 1958 Francis chose to sell Minimodels to a company with greater resources.

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"The Most Complete Model Motor Racing System in the World"

That's what champion driver Jim Clark was saying in 1964 when he was retained to maintain the Scalextric momentum. The Scalextric World Championship which was staged in London soon after, increased the appeal of the game even further and very soon Scalextric was being manufactured in France, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and the USA.

The introduction of new features and themed sets, including the 1967 007 James Bond Aston Martin set, have enjoyed a substantial success over the years.

These days, Scalextric is a subsidiary of Hornby Model Trains.

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